How to Block Someone in Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts makes online meetings and conversations a breeze, but sometimes you need to distance yourself from specific individuals. Some people can be too unpleasant or rude and make you want to block them out.

Luckily, you can block people in Google Hangouts web, and the Android and iOS apps. Read on for instructions on blocking and unblocking on all supported devices.

How to Block on Google Hangouts Mobile

If you’re using Hangouts on Android or iOS, know that you can simply block anyone who bothers you or gives you trouble. The instructions are the same for iOS and Android devices:

1. Launch the Hangouts app on your mobile device.
   
2. Open a conversation window.
   
3. Select More in the top-right corner of the screen.
   
4. Then, tap on People.
   
5. Choose who you want to block and tap Block.
   
6. Finally, confirm your action with Block.
   

How to Block on Google Hangouts Web

You can block people on Google Hangouts web, via any internet browser on your computer. Follow the instructions for blocking:

1. Open the Google Hangouts web page and log in.
   
2. You’ll land on the Conversations tab. Select the person you want to block from your list of conversations.
   
3. Then, select the Settings option in the conversation with this person.
   
4. Choose to Block or Report them.
   
5. Optionally, you can mark the Also Report box if you think the person in question went too far.
   
6. Confirm your selection.
   

We’ll give you more info about blocking and reporting in the following section.

Google Hangouts Blocking 101

Before you start blocking people on Google Hangouts, you should know how it works. First and foremost, you will not be able to receive any calls or messages from a contact you block. Not only will you block them on Google Hangouts, but also on Google Chat, Google Voice, and Google Photos.

If you decide to unblock someone, you’ll unblock them on other services as well. You won’t be able to message or call a blocked person either. Calls and messages will be enabled both ways on other messaging apps and via regular phone calls.

You can block a person in your Google Hangouts group chat. It will not remove them from the conversation, though. Nobody in a group chat will get notified of you blocking someone. You won’t see notifications of their messages in a group, but they will see yours. Other people won’t be affected – they will still be able to see all messages.

Even though you’ve blocked someone, they can still join your group text chats. If they try to join a video group chat, they won’t be able to do so. Also, they’ll get a notification informing them that someone from the conversation blocked them.

How to Unblock in Google Hangouts

Anyone can make a mistake and block someone in Google Hangouts on accident. That’s not an issue because you can unblock them even before they notice. You can unblock a person at any time if you have a change of heart. Here’s how to unblock on a computer:

1. Visit the Google Hangouts page in any browser.
2. Select the hamburger menu and click on the Settings.
   
3. Next, choose Settings then Blocked People option to see the list of everyone you’ve blocked.
   
4. Finally, find the desired person and Unblock them.
   

Alternatively, you can unblock your Hangouts Contacts in Gmail from the list with the same name (left side of your Gmail screen).

Unblocking on Mobile

Unblocking people in Google Hangouts is different for Android and iOS devices. Here’s how to unblock a person on an Android phone or tablet:

1. Start the Hangouts app.
   
2. Then, tap the hamburger menu.
   
3. Next, choose Settings, and select the Google account you’re using.
   
4. Finally, tap on Blocked Contacts and find the name of the person you want to Unblock. Tap the Unblock button.
   

Blocking on the iPhone and iPad has some extra steps:

1. Launch the Hangouts application.
2. Select the hamburger menu.
3. Open the Settings and view the Blocked People list.
4. Select the name of the person you’d like unblocked.
5. Then, tap More, followed by People.
6. Choose the name of the person once again and tap Unblock User.

Blocking Made Easy

Real-life contact with people sometimes can’t be avoided, but on Google Hangouts, it can. You don’t need to put up with rude behavior; block the person right away.

Did we answer all your questions regarding blocking, or there’s more that you’d like to know? Tell us about your Google Hangouts experiences in the comments section below.